Happenings
by Koun Kukki
Summary: Pretty much a novelization of Advent Children, with some things of my own randomly stuck in there. Also continues the line of The Continuation and Core Temperature, to the end of everything. Hopefully the ending...will...shock, to say the least.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Disclaimer: Most of this story is property of Square Enix. The only things that aren't are my original character, Harper, and the plot for this fan fiction. In no way do I claim ownership of Square Enix's work.

A/N: Alright, this's the last one (we think…) in this series of mine. Some chapters will be longer than others due to my plan of only typing as much as I can and still be happy about it in one day. Most likely a chapter will be put up every Saturday or every other Saturday. I didn't know what else to do for this installment, so sorry if it's awful…but I think the ending will give people a shock… As always, please review whether or not it's something good you have to say! I really look forward to criticism of any kind! Also, if while you're reading you have any suggestions for the rest of the story, tell me about them! I have the whole thing written already, but there's always room for improvement!

Chapter one:

Cloud wondered again what on earth had happened. He and Vincent were talking when a commotion in the hall had been heard. They both rushed to see what had happened—such as someone tripping. But there was nothing but white smoke dispersing and a note claming, "We have come to dispose of our sister." Vincent was the one who found the note, and just after he had read it aloud, he disappeared. The disappearance was only for a moment, but he had definitely not been there for a second. Just as abruptly as he'd gone was he back. Soon after thought, the Turk simply passed out. Why? No one knew. Vincent lay unconscious for three days.

The first day, Tifa decided not to open the bar, and Cloud didn't open the shop. Both were afraid to wake Vincent and disturb whatever recovering he might be doing.

The second day, Could opened shop, but Tifa still kept the bar closed till the third day. That was spent explaining to confused customers why it had been closed for two days.

That night, Vincent woke and made his way hesitantly toward the back porch, He sat woodenly at the table, faintly taking not of the slightly warmer weather. Sector & was by no means anywhere near where it had been before it had a section of Shinra's upper class world dropped on it. Even before then, it wasn't much. Now it was next to nothing.

Still, not having their share of the plate over them kept the temperature higher than the rest of the sectors. In those other's there were only two temperatures: cold and colder. There was no sunlight, lending an air of death to those others. In Sector 7 there was at least the sun, if no plants. Before, the plate had kept everything from growing. Now everything was concrete, or covered in a thick layer of the manmade-rock dust.

"A long time ago, all the sectors had names, but a Shinra grew and built the plate over Midgar, all the town's names were forgotten." Vincent barely blinked as Cloud Strife took a seat across from him. "Jessie told me that almost a year and a half ago. She was an original member of Avalanche," he explained. Vincent only nodded. "So, where'd you go?"

For a minute Vincent didn't have a clue what Cloud was talking about, but he got it. "Spira."

Cloud hadn't expected a name he didn't know. "Spira…"

"I know. That is the same thing people there asked about Midgar," Vincent went on to explain what he could. "At first I was mistaken for a man called Auron. Through the days I saw that every one was like and alter-ego of you and the others…"

"Me?"

"Tidus: he was blonde and a kind of unannounced leader, but he reminded me of you in more ways too. Every one… traits may have been divided among people in some cases, but all of us were there in some way."

"…Aeris?" Cloud asked, looking off at the concrete jungle all around them.

Vincent took in a big breath and let it out quietly. He had thought Cloud was doing better… "Aeris too," he finally said.

Cloud still didn't look up. "Who?"

He knew Cloud really didn't understand much of what he was being told, but he told Cloud what he wanted to know. "Her name was Yuna, she was a summoner—much the same as an Ancient, she protected the planet, was a healer, cared."

"Cared?"

Vincent let a smile flutter around for a moment as he thought about what Harper had told him about Cloud once. "She let me stay with her and her party. Much as you did for Harper."

"Thanks," it seemed Cloud gathered himself again. "How'd you get back?"

Vincent laughed at himself as he remembered what he had asked of Wakka, and what had really happened. "Generally, or the way it all got to the point it did for what happened to happen?" He honestly did not want to tell Cloud, but knew that no matter which the ex-Soldier chose, he would tell all.

"Generally is fine."

It was what he had expected. "I died."

Cloud's eyes flew open in shock. Vincent die? "What? You actually died? Not just a 'K.O.' died?" When Vincent nodded, Cloud let out a breath. "What happened?" He still couldn't quite grasp what valentine was saying. To him, Chaos should have been able to emerge, healing all when he did so.

"Chaos killed me," Vincent said it and realized it sounded ridiculous: he controlled Chaos…and that made it sound like a suicide, (he laughed to himself) which was how it had started.

Cloud's eyes got wider still. "What? How?...Start at the beginning of the 'how'."

"Cloud…" Vincent _really_ didn't want to talk about it.

"Ok." Cloud said that, but not in an understanding way—more grudgingly than anything. They sat in an angry silence for a few minutes…

"I don't know exactly when it began, but I started having mixed feelings about me and Harper, and I handled things badly—"

"Harper was there too?"

"Yes," Vincent waited a moment before going on, to make sure Cloud wouldn't interrupt him again any time soon. "I began thinking about Lucrecia, whether or not it's wrong for me to move on, yet still hold onto her." He was unsure of Cloud's reaction to that statement. It seemed that Cloud was having the same feelings about Aeris. "Eventually, found an answer, but was then set with the task of …something else and continued to push Harper away, making it worse."

"You push everyone away, Vincent," Cloud stated without looking at him.

Vincent shook his head, "Yes, but I was doing it in a different way…normally…"

"Forget it."

"Cloud."

"What? Just finish the story."

_He_ was acting more than a little but odd, but Vincent thought it best to dismiss it for a while. "We got in a fight, and I put things off because I wasn't done figuring them out. After that, things were fine for a short time. I re-lapsed, and Harper got increasingly mad at me, and myself at her for what I thought was her impatience.

"As we neared the pilgrimage's destination (Vincent held up a hand to silence Cloud), Tidus called me and Harper into a duel to work things out saying that the party could go no further until our contention was dissolved," as he broke to think about what to say about everything after Cloud cut in again—

"Did you?"

"Did I what?"

"Fight, duel…whatever?"

"_Oh yes,_ we _fought_. She and I fought long and hard."

"Who one?"

"Neither of us."

"What?"

"…Well…maybe it would be better to say that we both won: we both defeated each other at the same moment." Vincent paused long enough only for Cloud to say 'Oh.' "When I woke, we had been removed to a ten, Harper was still unconscious. I only laid there and thought of what I would say when she woke—I know I had to say something if we were going to make it." Vincent sighed as he thought that that would have been the perfect time to ask her where she was/had being/been taken to by her "brothers/" "She woke before I had completely finished formulating what I wanted to say, so I spat out the unfinished version. She understood, but we didn't have time for any pleasantries."

"Why not?"

"Maester Seymour—our Sephiroth—had somehow found us and attacked. Near the end, Harper took a hit that took her out of the fight, and Spira. I left the fight immediately, but…"

"She died…"

It was Vincent's turn to look away. "Yes." He wasn't jumping the gun to hand out how he had died.

Cloud knew that, and didn't care, it seemed. "And you?"

"Cloud…"

"Vincent, please," Cloud prodded.

_Please?_ "Why do you want to know?"

"I just… need to."

A tense moment passed before Vincent decided he had better—more important—things to do, that he needed to get any and all questions out of the way. "Fine. After Harper died…I… asked Wakka (a friend, or the closest he had to one in Spira), after think about doing it myself…to shoot me."

"Vincent…But he didn't. You said Chaos killed you, not Wakka," was he musing?

"I gave Wakka Cerberus, but he didn't, and I didn't care….About anything. I completely forgot about Chaos and his life-mission to kill me, his prison. I didn't care about keeping him in, so he came out." Vincent stood, pushing back the chair, and turned to leave.

"What then?" Cloud asked as he rapidly stood. His chair scraped over the concrete.

Vincent turned back, hand on the back-door handle, and gave Cloud a stern look. "Chaos ripped me apart; I died, and am back hardly missing a beat in this world." He turned to the door again but had hardly started turning the handle when Cloud asked where he was going. "Look for Harper," he replied as he opened the door.

"You don't know where she is?" Cloud asked, incredulous.

Swiftly, silently Vincent went over all the conversations he and Harper had had while in Spira. "No." With that, he went inside to begin packing for what could be a very long search ahead of him.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Dos

Disclaimer: Most of this story is property of Square Enix. The only things that aren't are my original character, Harper, and the plot for this fan fiction. In no way do I claim ownership of Square Enix's work.

Chapter Two:

Going inside after his conversation with Cloud, Vincent rammed into cid, who was walking in his no-time-to-lose! way. No one knew why he was always in such a hurry. Vincent quickly recovered and was halfway down the hall before the old pilot realized what had happened.

"Hey!" he wasn't using his inside voice, by far. "Vincent, when'd you wake up?"

Vincent came to an abrupt halt. "Just a while ago. Cid, I don't have time—" 

"Man, I was wonderin' when you'd come to!"

At that, Vincent frowned. "How long was I asleep?"

"Near three days. I was hopin' you'd… hey!"

It was worse than he first thought. When he first woke, he thought that Kadaj, Loz and Yazoo only had a few hours' head start… but now he found out that they really had three days? It felt like death all over again.

After briefly wondering how in Gaia's name he'd pull off finding her again, Vincent turned and dashed to his room to snatch clean clothes before heading to the bathroom, still double-timing everything.

He was in and out of the shower in no time. Almost at a total run, Vincent rushed through the living-room, wet hair sending water flying, and was out the front door before he was even half way finished buckling on his cape. As soon as he was outside, wings erupted from his back, already ready to fly. Fly he did, in a frenzy with no direction.

Those in the house barely knew what had happened.

Vincent didn't really know where to start, so he let himself fly aimlessly while his thoughts worked furiously at narrowing down places Kadaj could be going. "We have come to dispose of our sister" didn't give him much to work with. Somehow, he ended up in Nibelheim that night. It had been years since Vincent had been in the mansion called by the townspeople "Shinra Estate," and the degree of disrepair it was in shocked him. Yes at the same time, it came as no surprise. Nibel-folk, while grateful for the benefits of drinking the planet dry, never enjoyed having the Shinra around, thus—why bother with the up-keep of the mansion? Still, its dilapidated state shocked Vincent, no matter how much sense it made.

Thirty years of nightmarish dreams claimed again his twenty-nine year-old mind. Vincent hardly feared anything, but the sudden onslaught from the past drove him to forget why he was there. But above everything rose the shame, as strong as ever; but it was shoved to one of the many dark corners of Valentine's mind. Present was more important than the past.

The past was dead and every one from it—usually. He laughed to himself as he tried one of the remaining steps on the winding staircase. It snapped.

Searching the mansion was easy. Everything was where it had been thirty years ago, if in terrible condition. Downstairs, in the west wing, was the piano…out of tune. In the basement, everything was the same. Nothing had been touched by human hands since he had left with Cloud and the others a year and a half ago.

He entered the side room on his way back upstairs. It was still littered with skulls and coffins; his was still in the centre of the room. Vincent wanted so much to simply crawl back in and sleep forever. Why? He knew not. But, greater than that simple _want_ was the inexplicable _need_ to move on…

…To where?

Finally, the futility of his search hit him. Last time, he had been left a lead; now Vincent had nothing to go off of, start from. His clue before had been Costa del Sol, and from there every other lead had been luck, or the Planet's intervention. It had seemed natural enough.

Standing there in the basement of the Shinra Mansion, starring at his coffin—yet not seeing it—Vincent Valentine counted himself a fool. But his resolve was undeterred. A fool he may be, but no one would ever be able to say he gave up—not in this; not in anything.

Even after three days of sleep, Vincent's body was tired and needed still more sleep before he could return to his normal mode of insomnia. His mind was racing: he didn't need sleep. The mansion had been searched. Harper wasn't there. He could look somewhere else.

It took him about two minutes to leave Nibelheim.

On the dawn of the next day, Chaos set down on the cliff edge above the Forgotten Capitol at Vincent's direction. This is where they had been, perhaps they were there now. If they were, he was in no condition to pick a fight. The flight to the northern continent had given Vincent's mind time to slow down, and catch up in tiredness to his body. He wasn't going into the Capitol until he had at least _some_ sleep, and Bone Village was cheap.

It was the same crew of people stationed there as the last time Vincent was there. He had been with Cloud, looking for the key to Midgar. They had found it, had gone back; he found Hojo…and put an end to him. Not long after that battle, Vincent began wondering how long the psychotic scientist would stay dead. All of Vincent's other enemies seemed to be rearing their heads after being dead for years. It seemed no one stayed dead in this world, or any other.

He rented a room and slept deeply for four hours. He woke fully rested and made his way down to the Forgotten Capitol through the Sleeping Forest hoping he didn't actually have to_ play_ the Lunar Harp to not get lot in the maze the forest could generate. Needless to say, he hadn't been paying much attention when he had gone through the Forest the first time.

Just like the mansion in Nibelheim, the Forgotten Capitol was undisturbed but for the wears of time. The knowledge of the Ancients, or Cetra, was still contained in the many dwellings on the road to oblivion, but was finally starting to fade. Who knew what that meant for those who had left their knowledge behind. Had they been there all those long years?

Inside the under-ground part of the city was much the same, but for the few signs of life left by Kadaj, Loz and Yazoo. This was still their base, that was for sure. Another thing that was sure was that while this might still be the bas of operations for the three men, they were not there at the moment.

It only took a moment of thought for Vincent to decide whether or not he should stay and wait. The answer was "no." If they weren't there after three days (somehow he figured they could travel much faster than they did three months ago), they weren't coming back…with Harper, at least.

A thorough sweep of the city revealed the expected: living quarter which revealed little or nothing about its occupant, research—mostly about Sephiroth and Jenova, whose whereabouts were presently unknown; and maps. Lots of maps detailing what seemed trivial things: electrical maps of nearly every city great or small; ventilation maps, oceanic maps—even a complete map of the northern crater.

Other than that, the material included histories of cities, the world, obituaries, news articles dating ten years back to present. Scientific research on Shinra's experiments, Junon's submarine deployment, artillery manufacture, and list of employed, deceased, and retired Soldiers, Turks, instructors and even janitors…everything from what seemed important, to what seemed stupid (such as cleaning schedules for bathrooms) was there.

Copies of the many maps held penciled-in names of battles, or locations of different items (such as the sunken submarine, Gelika), and illegible handwriting identical to that found in a journal in one of the lived-in rooms.

Vincent found all these things, but none of it helped him, only vexed him more. Particularly their interest in the ocean floor and Gelika…and the arrow that pointed the empty space of the cargo hold of the sub. The only thing he could think of while he looked at that arrow was that the cargo hold—somewhat ironically—held the worst of the menagerie of creatures in the sub. Other than that, there was only the fact that material had once been found there…but nothing made sense. Materia wouldn't grow except in the natural Mako fountains, or when manufactured by Shinra; so rendering materia hunting out of the picture. There was nothing else, so Vincent put that mystery aside and continued rummaging through the papers littering the centre pedestal.

Nothing was found there to help him in his search for Harper.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Tres

A/N: As always, please review!

Chapter Three:

Through her hazy mind and clouded vision, Harper could tell little of her surroundings except that they had a terrible stench, as of things decaying. What light she could see was fragmented as if she was looking through cloth…and she was…blindfolded. She wanted to reach up and pull it off, but her hands were firmly tied behind her back. A tug on her feet told her they were bound too, but differently. A door groaned in opening and closing; footsteps neared.

"Loz, you could do nothing better?" Kadaj. Harper hadn't known for sure whom she was with, but had had a fairly good idea. She had been right. After she remembered her brothers' plan, pretty much all of her Shinra training in self-defense surfaced. But what was Kadaj talking about?

"I couldn't find any more—" Loz protested.

"So you tied her shoelaces together?"

Though Harper couldn't see, she was almost certain Loz gave Kadaj a death-glare before saying, "I'll undo them since apparently it's inadequate."

Kadaj scoffed and tossed something—presumably more rope or chord—and said, "Just fix it." The door was silent, so Kadaj hadn't left.

"'Just fix it,'" Loz mocked. He was close enough then as he reached for Harper's feet.

She could almost laugh at how stupid he was being as she braced her hands on the floor behind her, bringing both heels up and around in a powerful ark toward Loz's jaw. The impact sent an unexpected wave of nausea as pain shot from her ankle to her hip, but she had accomplished what she had meant to: Loz wasn't near her any more.

Kadaj sighed and probably shook his head. "I told you she would be waking up soon."

"I've been up for a while, idiots."

The door opened and closed again. "What's going on?" Yazoo.

"Loz got kicked in the face," Kadaj answered, almost laughing.

"I wasn't expecting it, and especially not so hard," Loz protested, rubbing his jaw.

"You underestimated her, and got a nicely split lip for doing so; if she could see, you'd probably be dead." Yazoo had always been the intelligent one. "And her laces?"

"He was coming to finish," Harper chimed, as if inviting them to try again.

Yazoo was going to try. "Learn," he said sternly, closer…but not within striking range. Just a little closer… Yazoo planted a foot over both her ankles, making her leg hurt again. Harper gasped at that, but that only gave her to use as force as she brought her head up to try to head-but him. He was prepared, and brought his forearm up to block the attack. "You were angry," He said to Loz, "…with Kadaj I'll assume." His job was done, and Harper could barely move her feet, but her circulation wouldn't be cut off… at least Yazoo was considerate, even if she wished him dead…along with her other two 'brothers'. Well, she could still bite.

"Why does my ankle hurt?" Harper asked before she lost the nerve to ask.

It took a moment for an answer to come, and when it did, it was from Yazoo. "It got caught in the door a few hours ago. Loz's fault," he explained. "He's having a bad day."

"Week," Loz corrected.

"Life," Kadaj re-corrected.

"Well if it is, it's your doing," Harper put in her two cents. A silence followed.

"We have to leave soon. Loz…fix your face," Kadaj finally said, then left.

"Don't cry, Loz," Yazoo consoled once Kadaj's footsteps had stopped echoing down the metal corridor. Harper guessed he was inspecting Loz's head. "You got him pretty good, Harper." She smiled. "Oh it's not _that_ bad, you're not going to die, but that's just luck."

"You're both luck I'm tied up and blindfolded," Harper threatened.

"So we are," Yazoo replied, unconcerned.

"Am I in for another 'destination'?"

One of the two left. "No," Yazoo had stayed.

Harper frowned, "We're already there?"

"…You are…"

"Yazoo, just explain," when he didn't answer, she said, "It's not like I can run off and tell anyone."

A moment of thought, then, "We're leaving you here—"

"Where's—"

"I don't want to tell you yet." Harper swallowed her pride and let him go on. "Thank you. Four days ago we took you from Midgar, leaving a note—'We have come to dispose of our sister,' written by Kadaj—semi-explaining what happened. Kadaj meant to kill you as soon as we left Midgar, but Loz and I stepped in."

"…and?"

"And… you'll still die. Assassination just didn't seem right."

"Why? Why kill me? Don't you need me?"

"That plan was faulty; we have a new one, one that doesn't involve you. So, we'll leave you here…" he left the part about her slowly starving, out.

"Assassination didn't seem right? Over what? A slow death by starvation? Is this your idea of mercy?" The fact that Harper was confined to lying on the floor was the only thing that kept her from standing and yelling at him.

"It…I can't explain it. Normally—"

"Oh just shut up, Yazoo." Harper lay back roughly. It hurt her hands, her wrists, but she did it any way. "Go deal with your shortcomings somewhere else. Leave me here to die my slow, 'merciful' death."

She said it all not a moment too soon: Loz opened the door to tell Yazoo it was time to go.

"Ok." He got up and went to the door. "I'm sorry it all ended this way."

"Harper rolled her eyes, even though he couldn't see. "Yazoo, wait." No answer came to tell her he was still there, but she assumed he was. "Where am I?"

"I don't see why it matters."

"It just does. I can't explain it."

"Ah…"

"Well?"

"… At the bottom of the ocean, between the two continents, in the sunken Gelika. There is no way for you to leave."

The bottom of the ocean. She wanted to throw up, but only rolled onto her side and brought her knees as close to her chest as her bonds would allow. Yazoo wasn't gone.

"I loved you as a sister. You were to me…I…"

"Just go."

A moment later, the door protested being moved again, and in moments Harper's morale dropped to meet her in her new home on the bottom of the ocean.

Walking back to Bone Village through the Forgotten Forest, Vincent realized what a peaceful yet melancholy place the forest was. It seemed to contain so many memories; being there made him sleepy, made him want to stop…being a _person_ and simply _exist_. But he did not want to exist alone, not even in such a … wistful place seemingly untouched by time. Time…Vincent wondered sometimes how old his thirty years of sleep had made him. He had been alive fore fifty-eight years, but his body wasn't aged past _twenty-_eight.

He shrugged it off wondering why he'd gotten distracted by that, as he entered Bone Village. The dig team was still there. "Planning on staying tonight?" the man at the inn/shop asked.

"No, thank you." Vincent wasn't going to give it much thought: he wanted to move on…probably to Rocket Town.

"I don't know how you do it!"

That stopped him. "What?"

"I'd never be able to sleep down there."

"Sleep? What?" What was the man talking about?

"Sure, you were down there since yesterday afternoon!"


	4. Chapter 4

Capitulo Cuatro

Disclaimer: Most of this story is property of Square Enix. The only things that aren't are my original character, Harper, and the plot for this fan fiction. In no way do I claim ownership of Square Enix's work.

Chapter Four:

The _Highwind_ was there. Grand: so was Cid. Vincent had really not wanted to see any member of Avalanche until he was done, and who knew when that would be. Most people knew that, so something had to up that Cid was already back in his own hometown. He walked straight to Cid and Shera's house.

He was about to knock when the door, with Shera behind it, opened. She shrieked, making a "Shera?" come from Cid, who was probably involved in some mechanical…endeavor. Vincent didn't know what to say, but had he, he wouldn't have had time to say it—"It's ok! Just Vincent!" They were obviously expecting him.

A bang came from inside, followed by an "OOF!" and a few choice words from Cid, who came down the hall rubbing the back of his head. "Vincent! Sooner than I thought we'd see ya, but her you are!"

"Who sent you home?"

Shera was holding the door open, so Vincent walked in only to be directed to a chair at the kitchen table.

"Cloud. Who else?" Cid replied, washing his hands of the grime from whatever machine he was working on.

"Of course. What were you working on?" He couldn't figure out why he asked that, or if he was interested. Cid loved to talk about his projects, and Vincent had things to do.

"Oh, the old car. Just about to give up on 'er though. But Cloud filled me in—you'll want to get going."

Vincent nodded. "I'll take that as a 'she's not here.'"

"Yep, that's what I'm sayin'. Wish it wasn't, but you want something to eat?" Cid's scatter-brainedness was mind-boggling, but whatever he said he was sincere about.

Vincent's stomach practically everted and ate him at the thought of food. "Actually, yes."

"Food is good!"

It was good, whatever they ate. Shera returned from her errands and, after Vincent was done eating, pushed a towel and washcloth at him and made him take a shower. Then, he was free to go.

"Hey, Vince!" Cid called as Vincent was about to leave. Vincent only looked back at him. "Cloud said he'd like it if you kept him updated. Just a call every once in a while. Have your PHS?"

"Yes." Cid nodded and put his fists on his hips. "That doesn't mean anything."

"HA! Wasn't expecting it to! Now get! You've got a girl to find!" At that, Vincent tried to let Chaos' wings unfurl, but…they didn't—wouldn't. To Cid, it just looked like Vincent was just standing there. "Ah…Vincent?" He didn't respond. "Vincent?" Still nothing; Cid started toward him. "You ok?"

"Chaos isn't responding…" For five days, Vincent had been able to call out Chaos on a whim.

"Oh…well, what's different? Don't seem like you're too on edge about anything to be able to morph," Cid observed.

It was true: for the past days, Vincent had been in a state of perpetual urgency; that urgency was not as strong as he stood at the edge of Rocket Town. "Right." He shook his head as if he was just coming out of a day-dream. "Thank you." With that, Vincent left. From then on, his search would be on foot.

"Cloud?" Tifa eased open his door. "Are you awake?"

He was sitting on his bed with his back against the wall. "Yes…Tifa?"

Tifa was concerned, and it showed clearly on her face. Cloud had been withdrawn since Vincent left. Barret had taken Marlene to Costa del Sol for her birthday, so maybe he was just relaxing: having Barret around was mentally taxing. But what he was doing was more than just simply relaxing…it was seclusion. "Are you alright?"

"Sure," he shifted his weight. "Why wouldn't I be?"

All Tifa could do was shrug. "I don't know." Maybe everything was ok after all, but then…why was there a packed back-pack in the corner of Cloud's room? "Cloud, what's that? Where are you going?" He didn't say anything. "You lied to me." She wasn't mad at him for that, surprisingly; she was just stating what was.

At that, Cloud nodded. "Tifa, I have to leave, and I can't say when I'm coming back: I don't know if I am."

She had halfway expected this, but it still hurt for it to happen. "Where are you going?"

"…I don't know."

"Cloud!"

"Tifa." He looked at her with such profound pain, that all she could do was nod and let him go. She closed his door softly. Since the end of the Sephiroth deal, she had been waiting for a day such as this, not with any want—with dread. He home, not to mention her heart, was falling apart.


	5. Chapter 5

Capitulo Cinco

Disclaimer: Most of this story is property of Square Enix. The only things that aren't are my original character, Harper, and the plot for this fan fiction. In no way do I claim ownership of Square Enix's work.

Chapter Five:

He was tired of this: another city, no results. Nothing at all had Vincent found, and he was out of places to look…almost. And by now, his reason told him, she's probably dead. The only city he had left was Midgar.

Of course, he did know how dumb he had been when all of this had first began. Instead of rushing off as he had done, he should have analyzed the crime-scene more. Probably there was nothing there to help him, but perhaps it would have helped himself to mentally not beat himself up over not being thorough—even if only in one area.

Midgar was where Vincent was headed next. If he was lucky… Why did he even want to continue? She probably was long dead. Why search for only a body? A body's not a person.

Shoving those thought aside, Vincent turned his key in the lock. It was before shop hours so it was normal for the door to be locked; but, unlike everything else he had seen over the past few months, many things were changed. No one was there. The last day on the tear-off calendar was dated four days ago. There was no note left at the bar: no one was expected to come back. Odd.

Cloud's door was slightly ajar. Vincent, on his way outside, pushed it the rest of the way open and stepped inside. The room was bare. "Cloud…"

"Tifa went with Barret to look for him," a small voice said.

Vincent turned, suprized that he hadn't heard her approach. "Marlene?" A boy about her age stood beside her. "You're staying here alone?"

"No." Marlene took hold of the boy's hand and pulled him a little forward. "This is Denzel, he moved in a few days after you left."

"Denzel." Vincent looked at him again. His brown hair shaded his forehead, on which rested one of Jenova's remnants: geostigma. Vincent had seen it more and more in both children and adults, though it was more common in the children. While searching, he had learned what he could about the stigma: it wasn't a pretty situation, and there seemed to be no cure.

Denzel looked at the dark man when he said Denzel's name.

"I'm Vincent," he could think of nothing else to say. From the look in Denzel's eyes, the stigma was hurting him then, and badly. "I'm sorry."

Denzel understood and nodded before holding and hand to his head.

"Marlene," she looked to Vincent. "What's happened?"

She was about to answer, but Denzel asked abruptly if they could sit down. Vincent took them to the back patio where the kids sat and he began looking for…anything. "Cloud went to the church after you left, and brought Denzel home with him."

"My parents died a while back. Since then, I've managed, but this is the first house I've lived in with people I can call family since then," Denzel said.

"I'm sorry," Vincent put in.

"Don't be," was Denzel's answer.

"Anyway," Marlene went on, "a week or two later, Cloud just left. I wasn't here when he left, and neither was Denzel: Papa took us to Costa del Sol for my birthday. When we got back, he was gone, and Tifa was moving all his stuff. Then, a few days ago, she and Papa told us to go stay with the neighbors, that they were going look for Cloud." That was the end of the story, and Vincent had once again found nothing. Judging from the way Denzel didn't ask any questions, Vincent assumed everything had already been explained to him about Harper.

"Tifa said to give you this," Denzel said as he drew a piece of paper out of his pocket, "if you came back." It was Kadaj's note. "She said Cloud said to read it again, that maybe there was something you were missing."

Vincent took a seat across from the two. "Thank you." He didn't see what could be there. It was clear what the intended—Harper's death…or _was_ that it? " 'We've come to dispose of our sister,'" he read. "Dispose…"

"Throw away?" Marlene asked.

"…Maybe…" Gogaga and Corel were the junk-heaps of the world, along with Bone Village. Maybe there were things he overlooked in those places. "Are you two alright with the neighbors until Tifa and Barret get back?" They nodded. "Thank you." With that, he left.

Cloud couldn't help missing the house in Edge—a city growing around the slums. _In Edge_ wasn't right though, the 7th Heaven wasn't _in _Edge, but it wasn't _in_ Midgar. It was between them. The cliff he was on was a few miles away from either city. The old rusted buster-sword had yet again been kicked out of place. He replaced it, saying nothing, and got back onto Fenrir. His phone held no messages. He really was useless…

The delivery service he had tried to start had failed, pretty much miserably. They lost more money than they made, and when he left he told Tifa to do whatever she wanted to do with Strife Delivery Services. She said it would still be there when get back. When she said that, he wanted to say, "_If_ I come back." He was useless. He could help no one. He…couldn't even help himself. He couldn't decide it he would go back.

With Sephiroth gone, and Shinra put back in its place, what was there left for a Soldier to do? …

But he wasn't a Soldier, was he?

"The smell of the sunken sub isn't so bad once you get used to it," Harper said to a beady-eyed rat that was sitting across from her, just looking at her. His buddies were busy knowing at her ropes…or what was left of them anyway. Hours (or maybe minutes—it was hard to tell) after Kadaj, Loz and Yazoo had left, the overly-large rodents inhabiting the Gelicka had chewed through the ropes: Harper's first stroke of good luck, though she hated rats. The second stroke was the finding of a sword still slotted with materia, which was wonderful because Loz had not neglected to take hers. After that find, she was fully armed, and had a means of cooking things (fire materia); though what _there_ was edible…who knew, but she hadn't died yet! Drinking-water had been a problem—there was none—but somehow she solved that problem too.

The only thing left, was boredom…now being satisfied by talking to rats.

A/N: Please review!


	6. Chapter 6

Capitulo Seis

Disclaimer: Most of this story is property of Square Enix. The only things that aren't are my original character, Harper, and the plot for this fan fiction. In no way do I claim ownership of Square Enix's work.

A/N: Thanks for the reviews! Due to the many p.o.v. changes in this chapter, I'll insert the name of the person being switched to before each change.

Chapter six:

Vincent had re-visited everywhere but the Capitol and Bone Village. If there was truly nothing there, then what more could he do? He swept through the dig site at a brisk pace toward the Forest and the City of the Ancients, as he told himself he had to have missed something—there had to be something.

As he approached the pedestal with all the research paraphernalia, a glint on the far side of the pedestal caught his eye—because it hadn't been there before. The three had been back, and, as he took up a many-jeweled necklace, they had definitely gotten rid of…disposed of…Harper. Other than Harper's materia, nothing was changed but for the order (more a different _dis_order) of information on the floor.

Vincent, disappointed and angry, turned to leave…and his PHS rang.

(Cloud)

The church was the same as when he and Aeris had fought Reno and some of Shinra's other goons, only an ice-chest, bed-roll, and thermos were new; he had put them there. When Cloud had left the 7th Heaven, he didn't know he would end up in the church, but how he didn't know puzzled him. It seemed a logical place for a runaway, much more for a runaway who was in love with the more-or-less owner of the church.

He checked on the flowers, but dared not water them: last time he did that, they died. Everything was ok now that he was—Cloud fell to his knees clutching his geostigma-ravaged left arm. Everything was ok, except for that.

(Vincent)

It was Cid wanting to know…something. "Cid," Vincent said impatiently, "I'm a little busy."

"Oh, so you found something?"

Just then the reality that he could do nothing more hit Vincent like the piano in the Shinra Estate had been dropped on him from the highest spire while he stood in the lowest spot in the basement and watched in come plummeting toward him.

"No. Never mind."

"Awe…Vincent…" Cid, not one for consolatory words, stumbled.

"What was it you wanted?"

(Barret)

Tifa and Barret opened up the shops again when they returned from their Cloud search, while Marlene tended to Denzel, whose geostigma was paining him more than usual.

Barret came back from an errand to a Tifa who was polishing the bar while tears trickled onto it. "Tifa?"

She sniffed, trying to hide her tears. "Yeah?" Looking up from her work, she flashed a smile and continued polishing.

"Tifa…" Barret went around and behind the bar to close he up in a hug (a very rare thing, that!). "What's wrong, Tif?"

It only took a moment for her flood-gates to slip—her words ran together, barely able to be understood, "It all just feels so empty!" she sobbed and Barret quieted her. "The house, the shop, life—everything." Barret understood; most of his friends before had died in the fight against Shinra. "Biggs, Wedge, Jessie…and Cloud's as good as dead what with the way he's acting!"

"I know, Tif. I know."

Eventually, Tifa stopped crying, bit it would be many weeks till her heart was at all better.

(Vincent)

"The sub! Cloud asked me a long time ago to go back and do a sweep; I never did!" Cid explained.

"And?" Vincent prodded.

"Seems to me you need a little high-action fun! What d'ya say—go kill some mutated monstrosities?" That was probably the biggest word Cid knew, outside mechanical terms of course.

"You want me to go to the Gelika with you?"

"Well, I'm not going by myself."

"Fine, but I'm not holding your hand."

"Shucks!" Cid teased, before he realized Vincent had pretty much just called him a little girl. "Hey!"

"When?"

"I'll come get you. (That was dirty!) Where?"

"The Forgotten City."

"Yeap. Be there in a few hours."

Vincent wasn't giving up, but he did need a next more. Shooting something till it dropped dead was good enough. True to his word, Cid was there in the _Highwind_ shortly. "To Junon!" Cid ordered the pilot-in-training once Vincent was aboard.

"Y-yes Captain Cid!" the boy nodded uncertainly. Cid stood by him, helping/cursing him and Vincent took his old place on the lowest deck with his thoughts.

Outside Junon was the red sub they had obtained during the Sephiroth episode. It was still in good condition in spite of the year and a half of neglect it had endured. Cid punched in the coordinates for the Gelika, and they were off.

(Harper)

Poisona was so close to being mastered and splitting…fitting that it should break, also that she be poisoned when her only curative was useless. Harper slumped to the ground, barely able to support herself. The distant bangs and clangs continued as they had been forever; that or they had just started. She was too delirious to tell the difference.

(Vincent)

Vincent was the first through the hatch leading to the Hall, so he got to watch Cid stumble and curse as he trudged through the knee-deep water before the dry platform Vincent stood on.

"You ready?" Cid asked. At Vincent's "Yes" he added, "Because it's been a year plus half of one since anyone been down here. Bound to be crawlin' with critters."

"Mm," Vincent simply acknowledged what Cid was saying. In his mind, he was going through the papers on the Gelika he had found in the Forgotten City. He saw Cid double checking his spear and materia, so Vincent double checked Cerberus and was good to go.

"So, let's go?" Cid asked; Vincent nodded.

The Hall had never harbored any monsters; therefore it wasn't surprising for them to not encounter anything there. What _was_ strange was the abundance of rats, and the aroma of…cooked meat? That and the lack of the large beasts they were expecting. But all they saw apart from the rats were monsters small enough to be called babies.

"Man, what's with this?" Cid asked.

Vincent was annoyed: he wanted to shoot something. "I don't know. Let's go to the Hold…" he was remembering the arrow on the map. What was it for?

"That's the only place left. Don't think there'll be much in there, unless they're holding some kind of convention."

Vincent laughed, "A convention?"

"Yep."

The door to the Hold had been sealed so tightly that it took both Vincent and Cid to open it. The Hold's interior was the same as always but for the lack of adversaries. And that lack was obvious even from the observation deck.

"Man, this's just creepy."

"Yeah," Vincent wasn't listening. Something in him told him to go downstairs as fast as he could, but instead of jumping the railing, he just walked. But halfway down, he ran.

Harper was out cold on the lower deck, one of Cloud's old swords still slotted with materia lay to her left along with tiny shards of broken materia. Vincent yelled for Cid, inspected the shard and found them to be poisona. He cursed and got Cid to help him bring her out. If he was lucky, she wouldn't be dead by the time they had a remedy, or something else to help: Cid and he had both gone with ribbons. Until then, all they had was the cure materia, and a lame one at that—Cid had brought an un-leveled one in hopes of gaining a.p.

In the sub on the way to the surface, Vincent was able to further inspect Harper's condition. Her temperature was through the roof, yet she shook as if cold. He could only imagine being poisoned with no way to cure yourself of it. It would be a slow death, but by the look if it, you wouldn't be awake to experience that death. Cid asked how she was, but Vincent only asked him to keep going, and faster…please. From that, Cid could infer that the situation was not good.

Junon felt light-years away.


	7. Chapter 7

Capitulo Siete!

Disclaimer: Most of this story is property of Square Enix. The only things that aren't are my original character, Harper, and the plot for this fan fiction. In no way do I claim ownership of Square Enix's work.

Chapter Seven:

Finally back on land and in Junon, the first thing done was the curing of Harper's poison. Still, she didn't wake. Vincent asked Cid to fly him back to Bone Village. He found a spot in the Forgotten Forest able to be used as a home-like place, and that's what it became. Harper woke a day later. Cid had left as soon as he knew Valentine knew what he was doing.

Even though she had lived through the poison, was awake and had been given just about the best care in Gaia…Harper still needed rest, was somehow still weak. The passage of time in the Forest was slow but easy, and waiting for recovery wasn't hard.

Some of the pews were out of place, a few were broken, and pieces of a broken one were scattered everywhere as if broken in mid-air. This only registered as vandalism to Cloud as he walked slowly up the aisle to the flowers. But an unconscious Tifa wasn't

vandalism.

Cloud ran to her and propped up Tifa's head; she didn't respond. "Tifa!" Still nothing. "Tifa!!"

Her eyes fluttered and opened though they drooped. "You're late," she teased.

It was no time for teasing. He might be useless, but Cloud did still care. "Who did this?" The scattered and broken pews were now evidence of a fight.

Tifa shook her head, though it clearly pained her. "He didn't say." She relaxed into Cloud's arms, then shot up exclaiming, "Marlene!" At that, dizziness overtook her senses and she drifted off into oblivion again.

Cloud looked around—his ice-chest holding all his materia had been stolen. He cursed again before the stigma dragged him kicking and screaming to unconsciousness as well.

He and Tifa lay in the flowers for a while before Cloud woke up upstairs in his old house near Edge. He was in Denzel's bed. Tifa in Marlene's. Tifa was still sound asleep, and Reno and Rude were by the door.

Cloud spun at the sound of Reno's voice. "You're pretty heavy," he was commenting. After the meeting with Rufus Shinra in Helin, Cloud hadn't expected to see those two again anytime soon. Now, he supposed, he had been rescued by them.

Cloud turned to Rude, who was asking, "Weren't there kids living with you?"

He only glared in answer.

"'Cause they ain't here," Reno stated.

That was new, and caught Cloud by surprise. But he recovered. It shouldn't surprise him: he couldn't help anyone. He couldn't protect anyone: he was useless. Why then be taken aback when something like this happens? He had no answers for them.

"You don't care?" Rude pressed.

"I…" Cloud looked to Tifa, hoping that maybe some of her peace as she slept could be given him and that he could find some answer there. But he didn't.

Reno sighed and began to leave. "You're a real handful." Rude slammed the door on their way out.

Marlene clung to Loz's leg, afraid of the other two—Kadaj and Yazoo—as Kadaj (the youngest of the trio) began talking about "Brother" and going through Cloud's ice-chest. "So, Big Brother was hiding it."

Marlene thought. Cloud wasn't their brother, he couldn't be: they looked nothing alike.

"This is the power of the Lifestream," Kadaj went on, uninterrupted. He selected a blue orb from the many. "This materia will give us renewed power." He held it before his eyes, marveling. His arm simply absorbed it when he pressed it against it; then he held that up and gazed as the materia shown through.

It was wrong of them, Marlene thought. This was supposed to be a peaceful place, not one of destruction. These men were bad, she knew. Now, she also knew what it was like for Harper to be taken…a new fear settled in her hear, so pure and innocent till recently with all the hurt being caused by that sickness and…him. What if these were the same men who took Harper? What if they really had killed her? What would happen to her?

It had been all day almost, but he still expected Reno and Rude to come back. So Cloud had waited all day looking through the window at the angel resting atop and iron crossbeam. He used to be like that, he thought, watching over those he cared for, those he didn't, and (on occasion) those who really didn't deserve it. Now look at what he had become.

Tifa sat up, still looking as if she needed more rest. He wanted to ask if she was ok… but the time for that had passed. Instead, "Reno and Rude are out looking." She knew what he was talking about—Denzel and Marlene.

They would do their best, she knew. Something was weighing more heavily on her heart, though. "You have geostigma, don't you?" Tifa and Marlene had found bandages like Denzel's and no evidence of anyone else living in the church. Cloud sat down on the other bed, not offering any answers; not offering anything. "So it's ok to just give up and die. Is that what you think?"

Still nothing.

Tifa turned away from him and clasped her arms around her legs. "It is..." she whispered incredulously. Cloud had changed so much. He used to be so strong.

"There is no cure," Cloud protested, though he didn't know why. His life was meaningless.

Tifa looked at him, bewildered that he thought his life to be of so little worth. "But that's not stopping Denzel from fighting! Don't run," she faced him once more. "Let's fight it together. We can help each other, I know we can."

Cloud didn't lift his head to look at her. In fact, he hardly outwardly acknowledged that Tifa was talking to him, trying to help him. She sat back and hung her head. "Or do we have to be a real family for that to work?"

So, he thought, I even failed to give her a family. It was a sorry patchwork job I did, he thought as he examined Marlene, Denzel—everyone he had brought together—in a negative light. "Tifa…" She looked up; Cloud still had his head down. "…I'm not fit to help anyone. Not my family, not my friends. No one." The pain in his arm eased a little, letting his head clear somewhat.

"Dilly-dally, Shilly-shally…" Cloud looked up a little at her, surprised that she would mock truth. "Dilly-dally, shilly-shally," she repeated, with no time to explain.


	8. Chapter 8

Capitulo Ocho

Disclaimer: Most of this story is property of Square Enix. The only things that aren't are my original character, Harper, and the plot for this fan fiction. In no way do I claim ownership of Square Enix's work.

A/N: Ok, So I've come up with a system of sorts. Any time a line/paragraph thing is NOT indented… that signifies a p.o.v. change.

Chapter Eight:

She'd had a bad feeling for a while, and it was unrelenting. As of yet, she hadn't told Vincent; Harper wanted him to not have any worries for a while—she had caused him enough trouble.

He was happy in the Forgotten Forest. At least, that's what she thought. He had lapsed into a rhythm that matched the slow cadence of the Forest, but perhaps it wasn't peaceful: it always seemed that there was something smoldering just under his surface. But no matter—she was happy to be there with him.

Today was the day though. She could suffer this interminable anxiety no more. She was going to the Forgotten Capitol…Just as soon as she could find Vincent. All she did find was a note. Vincent had beat her to it and had gone to the Capitol because of a bad feeling he had, and—depending on what he found there—was going to Midgar to inform…someone.

She threw up her hands with a deep sigh. "Great." With that she sat down to wait.

"I think she wants you to move on, man," the two Turks were back and Reno was again freely expressing his opinion. They stood to either side of the door (again); Reno with his arms crossed and head tilted back as if he wanted a nap; Rude silently standing with his fists on his hips.

"Did you find them?" Tifa asked hurriedly.

"Only a witness," Reno replied, walking forward a bit. "Kadaj's gang took the kids." That wasn't surprising.

Cloud turned toward him, asking, "Where are they?" There, that was the answer to Rude's "do you care" question.

"The Forgotten City," Rude said. Cloud, Reno and Tifa all faced him. "Their base."

Next thing Cloud knew, he was on Fenrir and going to the City of the Ancients.

They had enough children. Now was the time. As Mother's son, it was his duty to tell them the truth, show them the way back to Mother. But their forefathers were traitors; would it be easy to lead them home?

Kadaj had Loz assemble them all before the lake in front of the great shell; before the lake in which Big Brother's precious Aeris Gainsbourough was asleep in her watery grave. Marlene wasn't among the children on the other side though. No, she was the bait.

"Mother gave me a very special gift:" Kadaj started. The stuffed moogle a pig-tailed girl held was probably a gift from her mother. "the power to fight…against a planet that torments its people." He spread his arms wide.

Loz watched with a serious expression. Marlene clung to his leg and Yazoo watched uninterested. Marlene heard what Kadaj was saying and knew what he was talking about—geostigma.

Kadaj went on. "Mother gave this gift to all her children." The kids still weren't very interested. "That's right. You and I are brethren." He could hear their little minds tuning in. Finally he lowered his arms and turned around. "Brothers and sisters, chosen…when we inherited Mother's memetic legacy through the Lifestream." He lifted both his arms toward the sky and brought them down quickly, gesturing to heaven, or to life. "But," he turned each part of his body deliberately as he faced them again. "…the planet doesn't like that." He strode toward them. "It's trying to hold us back. That's why," Kadaj pointed at those before him and swept his gaze and point over them all. "…it's been racking out bodies with pain, filling out hearts with doubt!"

When Kadaj's gaze fell on Denzel, Denzel ducked his head and tried not to be noticed. He hadn't really wanted to come, but they said they could cure geostigma…only now…this man was preaching, not healing.

"I will heal you," Kadaj said. "Then we will go to Mother." A foggy, mist-like glow surrounded him; it seethed like Flame. "We will join as a family and strike back at the planet!" The mist shot upward like a ghost. Kadaj's display of power was impressive.

He took a moment to calm down. "Do as I do." Kadaj entered the water and darkness from him diffused into it. His eyes never left his soon-to-be- converts until he raised his hands to drink from the liquid they cradled. It was a cleansing drink: his pain would be gone for a while. HE gave a great sigh of relief, letting his arms simply flop back to his sides.

Kadaj looked at the children watching him, surprised that they weren't leaping over one another to get at the water, but slowly, one by one they went. He kept on eye on Cloud's boy, Denzel. Denzel too drank, against the protests of Marlene.

Kadaj smiled—everything had gone according to plan. The water-turned-cure would indeed ease the pain of the stigma, but it would also make them puppets to his and his brother's will.

Cloud's mind drifted to a flower filled meadow. He stood back to back with Aeris…

"You came," she stated. "even though you're about break." All he could do was listen. "That's a good sign." She put a hand on his infected arm. "So…why did you come?"

"I think I want to be forgiven." He did. He didn't know why he was just realizing that. "More than anything."

Aeris laughed, not mockingly. "By who?"

What? What did she mean by that?


	9. Chapter 9

Capitulo Nuevo

A/N: All I can say is one big, fat, "SORRY!!!!" My older sister made off with the computer. Can't really blame her though: it WAS hers. And with school the way school is, I haven't had any time to come to the library (which is where I am now) to write any more. But, I now have at most one hour in which to get something down before I have to go home and get ready to go to church.  Again, sorry. But I haven't been getting comments asking where I've been…so there really was no motivation…. hint hint Ack, soory… It's been a weird week so far…So here we gooo! …

Before Cloud could get an answer, he was forced back to the Forest. Kadaj, Loz, Yazoo and all the missing children were before him—Denzel and Marlene at their front… something was wrong with Denzel… and if cloud didn't stop, he would run right over them.

It was hard and it hurt when he fell of Fenrir, but cloud flipped his bike and sent it in Kadaj's direction.

Kadaj drew his double bladed katana and hopped right over Finrir, making his way to Cloud, who was recovering from his meeting with the ground. Loz stopped Finrir with his foot.

"I'm glad you could make it," Kadaj said as he leaned over and circled Cloud.

"I'm here for the kids." He felt no kinship to the three.

"See this man?" Kadaj asked the kids. "He's our big brother. But alas…" he stopped before Cloud… "In our happy flock…" his katana found its way to Cloud's throat. "He's what you'd call a black-sheep."

He drew back his arm for a dramatic execution, right when Marlene… "Cloud!" Kadaj spun, giving Cloud the opening he needed to grab at his sword.

"Vincent?" Harper called.

He turned his head in her direction, "Hm?"

"What's that noise?"

"…" Vincent listened for a minute. "Sounds like a battle. I'll be back." With that he was gone.

Kadaj thought he had him, knew…unless something weird happened. And something weird did happen—

A bullet came out of nowhere and knocked his sword out of line. It wasn't a stray of Loz of Yazoo's, it was meant to do just what it did. Kadaj looked around as he landed just in time to backflip out of the way as a red phantom shape swooped down and over Cloud. No one had any idea what it was, except Cloud.

The phantom continued to fire at Kadaj, but was unable to hit flesh, only steel as Kadaj turned the shots away with his sword. Yazoo began shooting back, and Lozran in for the attack. The phantom rose and parried Loz's attack, moving around the area like a serpent before vanishing over the treetops with Cloud.

Inwardly, Kadaj cursed. What was that?

Vincent dropped down with Cloud. "Cloud!" Harper exclaimed as she stood. Cloud didn't respond, but looked at her, then at Vincent; then he sat down. Harper knew what was happening—Vincent had told her all he knew—but she hadn't thought it was as bad as he had made it sound. She was wrong.

"I was right," Cloud said. "I'm no good to anyone."

Harper sat back down, Vincent stood in front of a tree behind Cloud and to his left. Both Harper and Vincent knew they couldn't change his mind just yet. They would have to wait.

"Vincent, what do you know about this?" he was referring to Kadaj.

"I come here often," he meant the Forgotten Capitol. Vincent flipped a side of his cloak out of the way and advanced. "I've seen what Kadaj's gang is doing."

He knew about cloud's geostigma. Reno had told him. Vincent crouched beside him and grabbed Cloud's arm. His touch sent an arc of pain through cloud. "The stigma," only Vincent and a few others knew much about its nature. He'd have to start at the beginning. "Inside our bodies is a current like the Lifestream. When alien matter infests the body, this current is what fights it off." Cloud was still grimacing from the pain. "Geostigma is what happenes…" Vincent stood and walked around Cloud to stand behind and to Cloud's right. "…when the body overcompensates for its unwelcome guest."

"Unwelcome guest?" Cloud mused.

Vincent explained as best he could. Harper had helped when this was all being explained to him by Tseng and Elena a while back. "The Sephiroth gene. Jenova's memetic legacy. Call it what you want."

"You're well-informed," Cloud said after a moment.

Harper was doing her best to be invisible. Vincent was good at this.

"Tseng and Elena. They were brought here half-dead. They must have been brutally tortured. I did what I could to save them…but it was ugly."

"Tortured?"

Vincent almost scoffed at the Turks' arrogance. "They had it coming," Vincent looked at Cloud, "they got their hands on Jenova's head." It would be interesting to see how he took it.

"Then the 'Mother' Kadaj is looking for…" and so they were back to Kadaj.

Vincent half buried his face behind the lip of his cloak. "Heaven's dark harbinger. The calamity, Jenova. If they wanted to, they could make another Sephiroth." He chanced a glance at Harper. The Sephiroth Kadaj could bring back wouldn't be her father, but the monster created by Shinra.

A/N: that's it for now! My session's up!


	10. Chapter 10

Capitulo Diez

A/N: if you remember where I left off… good for you. Still…I'll help everyone else out by saying that Vincent has just said that if they wanted to, Kadaj and his brothers could create another Sephiroth….

She seemed fine, but then…Harper was good at "seeming" anything.

"Kadaj…what is he?" Cloud asked.

It was a rhetorical question, but Vincent answered. "I'd rather not know."

A rustle in the brush behind Harper (she jumped out of the way) made Cloud jump up and grab his sword. Vincent's gun hand stood at the ready. Harper picked up the sword she had found in the sub. An offensive attack from Kadaj would not be smart…

Marlene burst from the bushes and made a B-line for Cloud. "Marlene!"

They all relaxed.

"Cloud! Denzel and Tifa!"

"Tifa is all right," he assured her.

"I wanna talk to her!"

That made sense—Tifa was like her mother… Cloud couldn't find his phone. He had lost it in the fight with the three. He looked at Marlene apologetically.

She turned to Vincent. "May I?"

Harper couldn't help laughing—the PHS's batteries had died, and they hadn't gone back to town to replace them. Vincent held open his cloak, showing his lack-of-phone.

"You don't have a phone?!" Marlene was astounded.

Vincent dropped his cloak. He was sorry he couldn't help, but the face she had made was priceless.

Marlene saw Harper and smiled.

"Vincent, will you take Marlene back to the bar? I'm gonna go get some answers from Shinra."

"You know I can't."

"But…"

"Forget it, Cloud!" Marlene fussed, pulling away from him. "Why don't you ever pay any attention to us?" She turned and fled to Vincent, who covered her with a corner of his cloak.

Cloud took a few steps toward them, Harper watched silently. "Marlene, please give me some time. There's a battle to be fought…but it's not as simple as just fighting it. You see?"

"No, I don't!"

"Cloud, fighting: is that what this is about?" Vincent asked. The time for trying to change his mind had come.

Cloud thought back to when Rude had told them where Kadaj was… 'Where are they?'

'The Forgotten City,' Rude said, 'Their base.

'Can _you_ go? I have to talk to Rufus.'

'Stop running!' Tifa had pleaded. 'I know: even if you find the kids you might not be able to help them. Maybe something will happen that can never un-happen. That scares you, doesn't it? But you need to think about now. Take it in.' She wasn't stopping. 'You think you've got it hard? Tough. Sharing your life with other people is hard.' Tifa wasn't distracted by Reno and Rude's squabbling. 'I know you don't want to be alone. You might not answer your phone, but I don't see you throwing it away either.'

She was done…for now.

It looked like Reno had lost the fight. 'You go to the base, Cloud,' he said, looked at rude, and both left.

Cloud didn't turn around. Even though, Tifa had one more thing to say… 'Why do we have to lose out to a memory?'

That memory was what triggered his second trip to the flower field where Aeris waited. Perhaps he understood what Aeris meant when she had asked who he wanted forgives from. "But I let you die," Cloud said.

" 'Boo-hoo. Poor little me.' Cloud, why can't you forgive yourself?" Aeris asked.

"Are sins ever forgiven?" Cloud asked Vincent, having figured that Vincent would have been the one to ask in any other situation.

"I've never tried," was his answer. For atonement, maybe…but it was true that Vincent had never sought forgiveness.

"What?...tried," Cloud repeated. "Marlene, let's go home."

She stuck her head out and nodded, running to Cloud and grabbing hold of his hand. "I'm gonna try," Cloud said. "I'll let you know how it goes." He motioned using a phone for that purpose.

When they were gone, Harper said, "Well, looks like we're gonna need a phone."

"Looks like," Vincent affirmed. "Are you all right?" he asked, taking a seat adjacent to her.

Harper smiled. "Of course, why wouldn't I be?"

"What I said before, about Kadaj being able to recreate Sephiroth."

"What about it? Why would it bother me?"

It seemed she was fine…seemed. "He would be…"

A/N: Sorry! That's all the time I have for now! I hate to cut it off like this, but it can't be helped under these Circumstances. Later!


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter11

Note: Sorry for the long absence, but I've been without a computer for a long time…and still don't have the internet.  So…I still don't know how often I'll be posting. And…since I don't remember where the last chapter left off… I'll start this one by backing up just a bit.

Disclaimer: Any aspect of Final Fantasy I use in this story belongs …well not to me at least.

…. "Well, looks like we're gonna need a phone."

"Looks like," Vincent affirmed. "Are you all right?" He asked, taking a seat next to her.

Harper smiled. "Of course, why wouldn't I be?"

"What I said before, about Kadaj being able to recreate Sephiroth…"

"What about it? Why should that bother me?"

It seemed like she was fine…seemed. "He would be…"

"I know…" she sighed. "Look, here's the deal: I tell if you tell."

Vincent was slightly suprized—he could hardly ever get around Harper's façade. "Okay."

Harper hesitated a moment before beginning. "It would be…hard, to see him if Kadaj managed that." Vincent gave her a knowing look. "All right," she rolled her eyes, "So it'd be pretty bad for me, and joyous for him to see the reality check on my face." Harper sighed again a moved to sit closer to him. "So, that's me. What about you?" She knew there was something.

"I just have some dark, murderous corner in me…" he looked at her.

Harper smiled and rested her head against Vincent's shoulder. "Okay." When she looked up, he was looking back at her, and she smiled for him.

"We will have to go to Midgar. Cloud will fight these next battles, he may need everyone."

"That's fine," she said. "We'll go to Midgar." She smiled up at him again. "When do we leave?"

"Soon, but not yet."

Kadaj walked daintily to the edge of the unfinished room. President Rufus Shinra was waiting for him. "Say, Kadaj, I've got a question for you."

"I've got an answer."

"You said you needed Jenova cells in order to return to what you were. What does that mean?"

"Him," Kadaj said simply. "He's coming back."

"Sephiroth," Rufus whispered as realization dawned on him. "The nightmare."

"So they say," Kadaj spat.

"You mean…?"

"I don't know Sephiroth," he explained. "But I know he's close…It gets under my skin. What if Mother loves him more than…?"

"Poor little avatar," Shinra falsely sympathized.

Kadaj pulled himself together. "It doesn't matter. You'll meet the same fate either way! Mother came to this planet after a long journey, to rid the cosmos of fools like you. But, you know as well as me: nothing's changed since Mother came here. _I_ have to change it, to make her happy…there's nothing I wouldn't do, if only she asked."

The President chuckled. "It's Nightmare Junior."

"As long as you exist, the nightmares will come again and again."

"The Lifestream courses through our planet…" Rufus said darkly, "…back and forth across the borders of life and death. If that cycle is the very truth of life…" he theorized, "then history, too, will inevitably repeat itself. So go on, bring your Jenovas and your Sephiroths. It won't matter. We'll do as life dictates…and stop you every single time." Shinra was confident in that.

"Mister President, is that an excuse for taking Mother? Don't tell me you're feeling remorse."

"Remorse?" Rufus asked. "Why, I've never had this much fun."

Kadaj grinned, activating some of his stolen Materia, and turned to face Shinra. "Good. Now let's put an end to all this." Without further ado, Kadaj lifted his hand skyward and summoned…Bahamut.

When Vincent and Harper got to the centre of Edge…everyone was in a frenzy over the Bahamut rampaging through the city. The only thing Vincent asked Tifa was, "Where can I but a phone?" Barret, Red XIII, Cait Sith, Yuffie and Cid were already there; Cloud drove up on Fenrir just after Vincent and Harper joined the fight.

Cloud's swords popped out when he opened the containers on Fenrir's sides. "Marlene's safe. I took her home."

Tifa nodded.

"It's easier now," Cloud stated cryptically.

"Hm?"

Cloud leaned forward and selected another sword. "I was ready to drag myself along until there was nothing left."

Tifa smiled. Her Cloud was back.

Denzel was beside her, also back to his old self. "I'm going back to the bar; I'll be waiting with Marlene." He turned and jogged off a little bit, then turned back. "You're gonna come home, right, Cloud?"

Cloud nodded. That was good enough for Denzel—he turned and went back to find Marlene.

The next time everyone was together, save Cloud, was in the _Shera_ after the battle with Bahamut. Cloud had sped off after Kadaj, Loz and Yazoo, who were now in possession of Jenova's head.

Cid swooped in low over the fight between Cloud and Kadaj. Yuffie stubled forward yelling, "Cloud, I brought you materia!" even though she knew he couldn't hear. The _Shera_ jerked, making her almost drop all the many orbs she cradled. "Geez, careful!"

"Yo, Cid!" Barret called. "Land this junk heap!"

"Shut up!" Cid returned, hurt by Barret's insulting his new airship. "You want off, you jump!"

"Let Cloud fight his own battle," Vincent said. It was more an order than a suggestion. Harper had found him a new spot to stand—right next to the cockpit. She stood beside him.

"Wha…?" Yuffie was lost.

"Kadaj is an avatar of Sephiroth." Vincent explained. "Think of him as a sort of larval form." He tried to simplify the situation: Yuffie understood simple things best, when it came to science.

"Larva? You mean he's some kind of insect?!" Maybe "larva" wasn't the best word to have used.

Cait Sith then said something indiscernible, but they supposed it meant something along the lines of "be quiet!"

"So," Cid started, looking to Vincent. He saw Harper and remembered her kidnapping. "…That punk's gonna become Sephiroth?"

"Wait," Tifa interrupted. "Cloud…does he know?" She also looked to Vincent.

"…Probably."

"Then you're right," she turned back to the viewing window. "This is his fight."

"Someone explain what's going on!" Yuffie pleaded.

"This is man talk," was Cid's explanation.

"Sexist!" Yuffie protested. "Sexist!"

Cait Sith held his head before thumping Red's head in exasperation, shouting again at her to be quiet.

"Some of the men ain't following either," Barret complained.

It was Tifa's turn to do some explaining. "During our last battle two years ago…do you remember what it was like to be strong?" It had gotten hard for her to remember. "It's only been two years…but somehow that strength had slipped away. I think Cloud's found it again, though."

Barret scoffed, ever-doubting. "I'll give him ten minutes."

Yuffie finally caught up. "That's Cloud: pain in the rear."

"You said it," Tifa agreed.

Understanding that they would let Cloud fight Kadaj on his own—at least for ten minutes—Cid pulled the _Shera_ away.

Below, Cloud grinned and continued with the fight.

Harper had stopped hearing the conversation a long time ago. She had never realized what Kadaj was. She thought that they could re-create Sephiroth with…she didn't know what she had thought. She only knew that Kadaj had to be kept from absorbing Jenova's cells…

"Cid," Harper stood determined, "Set the _Shera_ down."

"What?"

She sighed, people looked at her. "Never mind." Harper grabbed up her sword and ran out of the room.

"Where's she going?" Cid asked of Vincent.

Valentine understood what was going on, and ran after he while repeating Cid's earlier law, "'If you want off, you jump!'"

"Oh," was all Cid could say.

"Harper!" Vincent called as he ran after her. She was navigating the _Shera's_ labyrinth easily.

"I have to stop Kadaj!"

"Cloud's doing that now…Harper!"

"No, I have to before…" Vincent got hold of her arm. "Vincent, please just let me do this." They stood on deck, with the wind from the propellers whipping their hair every which way.

"Be careful," Vincent squeezed her hand. 

"Of course I will be," she told him, kissed him, then jumped the railing. By the time she found Kadaj, he was no longer Kadaj, but Sephiroth. She was too late. Cloud was nowhere to be seen. "Where's Cloud?"

"Right now, wondering where I am. I knew you'd come, to save the world from this," he gestured to himself, "your insane father." Sephiroth grinned wickedly. "I've been waiting for you. It is time to show me what all that gil I poured into your training has wrought."

Fighting Sephiroth was like fighting herself ten times lumped into one fight. His style was the same as hers—aggressive yet subtle; a strike when and where one couldn't be foreseen, and a parry to a move most would deem invariably fatal. But it was also so much more.

Harper did her best to match him, and failed miserably because of her divided heart. She knew that the man before her was not the loving father she had come to know, but the ruthless killer who stile happiness from everyone and everything. The man she fought wasn't her father, and yet, he was.

Within minutes, Harper was slammed against a wall, and when she regained her senses the first few inches of the Masamune were piercing her right shoulder, pinning her to the wall. The injury was little more than a dislocated shoulder, unless she moved. Movement would cause her sub-clavier artery to be severed or muscle to be sliced, rendering her sword arm useless in a fight. As long as she was still, it wasn't a bad injury, but it still hurt like Hades.

Sephiroth stared down the length of the Masamune at her, still grasping the hilt. "A little while from now I will have Cloud Strife pinned to a wall much like you are now. I will ask him what he holds most dear, and then take it from him." He twisted his sword a fraction of an inch, making Harper cry out in pain. "And you? You will join the other remnants and eat away at the planet. But, you are different from them, stronger because you are my child. You will be a great help in the search for a new planet." He pulled his sword out; her arm would be all right.

"What's wrong with _this_ planet?" Both ad resumed the "ready" stance, their katana cocked over their heads.

"Everything. It dies even as we speak."

"The Lifestream is healing it!" Harper objected.

"Oh," Sephiroth mocked, "I suppose I'll have to reconsider." He launched a flurry of attacks.

Vincent was through pacing. "I'm going look for her," he announced. She had been gone too long. After Harper had jumped, Cid had put the _Shera_ down to wait near where she went overboard.

"I'm coming," Cid said as he caught up.

"Fine."

A/N: Thanks for waiting! I'll be updating a little more often now… We only have a few chapters left…though I don't know how long I'll be able to draw it out…Please review!


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

A/N: Thanks for waiting! I'm going to try to draw this out for a while at least, because I think I have a great ending…though people _will_ be wanting to kill me…or at least those who know me…when it's all said and done. There is the possibility of another story, which would be the explanation of this'n's ending, but I kinda highly doubt it.

Disclaimer: Anything and everything FF. is not mine.

"Kneel," Sephiroth ordered. Harper knelt. What else could she do? Her katana, the Kitsune, lay only a few feet away, but how could she hope to get to it?

The tip of the Masamune still at her throat, Sephiroth picked up her sword and walked around to stand behind her. He was careful not to let the Masamune even scratch her before he sheathed his sword —what he was going to do was what he called special. He knew how much Vincent cared for Harper: just as much, or more, than Cloud Strife had cared for Aeris Gainsborough…

He thrust the Kitsune through her back, down at an angle that glanced her heart. It erupted from her chest, surprising her. Harper slumped forward, but Sephiroth held her up as he knelt in from of her. "Die knowing that this is the way the Cetra, Aeris, died. Die knowing that you can do nothing now, and nothing can be done in order for your life to be saved."

Sephiroth re-drew the Masamune and went off to finish his ordeal with Cloud. With his support gone, Harper fell to her side. She wanted the Kitsune out…the Kitsune… she had been run through with her own sword. She was bleeding badly, but not as much as she thought she should be. She'd be ok as long as the Kitsune stayed right where it was. She'd be ok…for a while…She'd just have to wait a while…

That while wasn't long. Vincent and Cid were running toward her. Her vision was failing, but they were there: she'd be ok for sure now.

A/N: Sorry it's so short, but can I blame it on the want for dramatic affect? If not, too bad. I am anyway.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

A/N: With no further ado…

Immediately when Vincent saw her, saw the sword in her chest just as Aeris had had, he knew he could do nothing. His Harper was beyond curing, beyond any help. Cid cursed as he saw that the sword was hers. "Killed with her own weapon." He cursed again and kicked a random piece of shrapnel.

Vincent cradled her as best he could. Warm tears dripped onto her face as he cried for the first time in ages.

A/N: ….there is more ado…sorry. Hopefully these stupid interruptions of mine will have some dramatic impact on the last chapter. Bleh.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

A/N: I hope you all have enjoyed my stories, for this is probably the final one. However, if enough of my dear readers ask for an explanation, I may pull something out of the left field of my mind… Finally, if any of you should feel as strongly as one of my friends did when she read the end of this story…please! Don't hurt me! cowers

His steps echoed loudly through the abandoned halls of the research centre as he thought absently of the years spent there under there careful eyes and instruments of Shinra's finest. His footsteps were the only sounds in the building but for the electric hum which drove him to spending weeks searching for its origin. The building had been abandoned for four years and the scientists had taken everything, why then leave power on in one place?

Just as his flashlight began to dim, loosing its charge, the overhead lights flickered and blinked on, illuminating the hospital-white corridor. Maybe it was the light that made him realize he stood next to the room he was looking for: the one with the hum.

Tube lights flickering in their casings bathed the room's contents in harsh artificial light. Nearest him were metal-constructed desks with their chairs overturned on top of them—their occupants never to return. The computers once resting upon them were also gone. A bulletin board still hung, alone, on the left wall, bare of all notes. Beds were headed against the back wall, still occupied. Their residents were dead.

Only the bed to the far right was still set up, as if an experiment was still being conducted. An intravenous drip had dripped its last drop a moment ago, and the computer screen held a message. "Complete." The computer flicked off, and the hum with it.

Vincent looked to the bed. A girl, about the age of twenty-five, with silver hair slept soundly. That color only meant one thing—"Shinra never stopped, did they?" he asked no one. Not knowing why he felt he had to, Vincent removed the medical tubing; made sure her hospital-robed form was concealed by using the bed sheets as a kind of shroud, and took her back with him to Nibelheim.

As he approached the mansion, he hoped against hope that no one had come to see him while he was away and had decided to stay. The weeks at the Shinra facility had left him more exhausted than he realized or wanted.

_Of course, it would have to be her,_ He thought on seeing the parachute by the front door. He had barely walked in when Yuffie came vaulting over the banister.

"Vincent!" She landed with ninja-like ease. "You're…Who's that?"

"I don't know." He turned and lay the still sleeping woman on the couch.

"The Shinra Estate's homier since Tifa and I fixed it up!" Yuffie commented for the thousandth time.

"You say that every—"

"Where have you been?" she injected. "I've been waiting for three days!"

…Three days… "Is there any food left?"

She clasped her hands behind her back and rocked back and forth on her feet while making an innocent face. "No," she said simply.

Vincent jumped at the excuse to get rid of her. "Here," he gave her one thousand gil. Yuffie stared at the money in her hand. "For food," Vincent explained. "You eat it, you replace it." He hoped she wouldn't draw some connotative meaning from "replace it."

He didn't even realize he was asleep until he woke in the recliner, five hours later. Yuffie wasn't back. Briefly Vincent wondered how the woman he found would wake—mature or a child? Looking at her brought memories, and thoughts…

If she was indeed another remnant of Sephiroth, he expected her to be obsessed with one thing: finding Mother and bringing about the Reunion. Then she (as Sephiroth) would destroy the planet, use it as a vessel, find a new planet and "on its soil create a shining new future. Just as my mother did long ago." He expected her to be, in a word, insane.

If not a remnant, a child. He could deal with that, couldn't he?

The angle at which her neck was bent looked painful and Vincent suddenly felt dumb for forgetting he owned a rather comfortable bed.

When Vincent had moved in he had chosen the bed-room in the east wing, the one with the secret staircase that led to the basement…and the coffin he'd spent thirty years in, asleep all the time. Truth be told, he'd rather sleep in that coffin than in his own bed. Only he knew of this habit: he forced himself to sleep upstairs when someone decided it was a good night to stay at Vincent's place.

He found the bedclothes unkempt. "Yuffie." A pillow had be thrown to the other side of the room in her tossing and turning.

Unfortunately for Vincent, "OH. MY. GAWD." Yuffie walked in right when he was laying the girl down. He didn't really see what the problem was—making a sleeping person, perhaps sleeping girl especially, seemed sensible enough. "I thought that, of all men, YOU would be different."

"What?" He hadn't moved; he was still leaning over the girl. It clicked. "Oh, Yuffie, no. You're too quick to draw conclusions," he stated, pulling the sheets up. For normal people, the mansion was cold. Two sets of sheets wouldn't hurt. Vincent, being different, didn't feel the cold. Yuffie…Yuffie had enough energy to keep her warm and toasty in a snow storm.

Vincent stepped back, hoping he'd made her comfortable enough, before looking to Yuffie. "See?"

"I got your food!" she blurted.

Vincent hoped that was her way of covering embarrassment, yet he doubted it. "Where is it?"

"In the fridge already, geez!" Thankfully she turned and left, but not before "rescuing" the pillow on the floor. She tossed it haphazardly on the bed.

It landed on the girl's stomach. "Yuffie…" Vincent groaned and moved the pillow, then sat on the edge of the bed, looking at the floor.

"Vincent?" a small voice called. He looked around before looking to the woman. Mako-blue eyes sparkled up at him, full of love. She smiled. "When I saw you I knew I'd be ok." She sat up then and kissed him; her fingers sliding into his hair.

Vincent didn't return the kiss, but didn't move either: he was very confused.

She took his hand as she drew away, looking a little bit perplexed herself. "Is Cid here?"

"…No, he's in Rocket Town…"

"Oh." Her brows knit together. "Where are we? This isn't the Forgotten Forest."

"Nibelheim."

"The mansion?" she was excited now, looking around quickly. "You live here?" He nodded. "Since when?"

"For almost a year…"

"What? But we've spent the last two years together, I've never been here…"

"I'm sorry, you must be mistaken. I don't know who you are."

She had been so happy to wake and see Vincent, at first, but now she was very, very confused. He was acting as if he didn't even know her… but that just wasn't possible after all they had been through…together. But Vincent didn't play mean tricks…period.

"Vincent," she pleaded silently for some recognition. "You don't remember Kadaj taking me to Costa del Sol…? Or our trip to Spira? What about my kidnapping? And the time we spent alone in the Forgotten Forest…?"

He shook his head at each question. "I did spend time in the Forest, but nothing else, and I was alone." He tried to be delicate—something was obviously happening—but delicacy wasn't his strong suit.

"…But how can…? You _know_ me…" She raised her hand to cup his cheek.

Vincent looked away and stood, then went to the window. He looked back to her. "What is your name?"

A tear rolled down her cheek, the first of many. "Harper."

Vincent looked back to the window and shook his head. "I'm sorry."

"But how can…?" Harper choked back a sob.

An idea sparked in Vincent. "Seven years ago, a man named Cloud Strife woke me from thirty years of nightmarish sleep given me by Shinra, an alleged power comp—"

"I know what Shinra is. What does that have to do with anything?" She wasn't looking at him, but at the ceiling instead.

Vincent thought about what he was about to say. "I found you today, asleep in much the same way I was…" He thought of how Hojo projected himself electronically …living even though he died, and returning as Wiese. "It's possible that you dreamt all of what you're telling me happened." He was pretty sure that's what had happened. "To you, it would be as real as what you're experiencing now."

If she had a true representation of Vincent, then she knew he was telling the only truth he knew. "So my whole life was a lie."

"Beads of truth may have been interwoven," He would do his best for this Harper. She was lost now in the word, alone…a common thread…He sat again on the edge of the bed. "The waking world may not be so bad."

It would be bad enough. To forget everything she thought she knew…To know and not know the people she thought she knew…If there were such a thing as second chances, this was one Harper did not want.

A/N: If you haven't reviewed yet, now would be a wonderful time. Thanks all for reading!


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